Detection Distance Question

[Segwin]

Dead of night, pitch black with no moon. WX report was light winds and no fog. I'm am not submerged.

I'm coming around the bottom of an island (sorry, not at the game rig) and there is a tin can guarding the port - guesstamit of 10NM out if not more. I get a call that there is a merchant contact. I start setting up for a shot, never did submerge, and about 10 minutes or so into getting setup I hear warship contact. I listen to the phone and I hear him charging. Time to beat feet.

The merchant wasn't zig-zagging so how did the tin can know I was there? Is there a distance where you can be "seen"?

[Monica Lewinsky]

Is there a distance where you can be "seen"?
Five [5] nautical miles regardless from YOUR sub [regardless of weather conditions] for visual contact? The tin can too might have sonar/radar and "see" you from a greater distance?

[gimpy117]

did you ping or check depth??

[-Pv-]

Your "gestimate" of 10NM is not precise enough to advise you. Depending on conditions, your profile to the enemy, speed, you might well have been seen and/or heard. If the escort was stopped and listening, you can be detected even easier. There may have been another enemy asset you didn't detect like a fishing boat which might have reported you. No matter how dark it is, you can still be seen if you are close enough and/or noisy enough.

To sneak up on an alert and expert enemy on the surface in this game, you have to have a low profile (pointed directly at or away) go as slow as possible, and submerged to deck awash.
-Pv-